Center of Fatality
by skydog91
Summary: Things aren't always what they seem, and that falls especially true for Terminus and some of its residents. (co-author: Peachuzoid)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Welcome to Terminus

Seeing new people was a rare sight nowadays. Always young and weary of traveling, still full of hope at finding a safe haven. Mary had already caught the signal from Albert before the newcomers had walked in, having prepared the well-rehearsed lines upon welcoming. Afterward, she chanced a small glance up to the rooftop, receiving a nod of confirmation: Gareth had been made aware. She knew it would be a brief moment before he came out to welcome the guests. As Mary glanced into the eyes of the flesh-filled humans, Gareth approached, walking between the group and Mary. Gareth used his charm and led them on a tour through Terminus. Mary couldn't help but admire her son.

Deep down Mary was actually a genuine lady, she raised Gareth on her own. Standing beside her rusted steel grill, she put her face in her hands and began to remember how she really got here.

_The neighborhood surrounding the secluded country life of Mary's family was exactly what she wanted. Her husband, Todd, was a hardworking average joe who worked for a local farmer tending to his crops. Mary was a stay at home mom taking care of Gareth for much of his life. One night Todd became severely mentally altered after drinking at work with his coworkers, he began his abuse on Mary from there on out. The family's life dwindled on thin twine; Mary began asking around neighbors' homes for a Bible. She knew if Todd caught her he'd cut her open; he was atheist._

_After days of searching, she finally stopped by Gareth's friend Alex's house. She walked up to the front door, taking in the sweet fragrance of apple cider that burned from a small candle. Alex's mother opened the door and Mary brought forth her question. His mother returned with a miniature version handing it to Mary and giving her blessings. _

_Mary practiced verses and prayers throughout the first few weeks of the abuse. She curiously wondered if Alex's mother had any books on religious rituals, she knew about through her late grandmother. His mother returned with three books from the start of Christianity and also handed her some books on other religious rituals if she was interested. Mary glanced down at the fine print of the pages of the first book; taking in the beauty of human sacrifice to the God she knew and loved. _

_That's when it all went to hell._

_ As Todd slept after a long night of binge drinking, Mary searched the kitchen for Todd's meat cleaver that he'd use after hunting deer with his brother. She grabbed rope to tie him down. She wanted him to suffer. She walked into the small bedroom that held her jewelry stand and his wardrobe of plaid shirts, approaching the restful man lying there in bittersweet dreams. She grabbed his arms hoping to not wake him, as he let out an almost inaudible grunt. She tied his arms to the bedpost and his feet to the bed stand. She looked up to the heavens saying a prayer in Latin, as she began cutting the top layer of skin off the man's legs as he awoke screaming in agony. With blood spewing from his legs, she began working on his chest as the man began coughing up blood and saying incoherent words that Mary would ignore. _

_It only took several minutes for the man to take his last breath. Mary finished removing his remaining flesh and organs and began storing them in an icebox that she knew Gareth had never accessed. She took her bed sheets off with the rest of his body wrapped inside, out to be buried. She dug for the rest of the night waiting for the marvelous dinner that awaited her tomorrow._

_ They feasted on his body; Gareth had no idea. It was delicious. It was moist. It was the new Mary. No one except Mary knew, or so she had hoped._

_ Gareth began picking up signs of his father's disappearance and questioned his mother; she would later confess that what Gareth had eaten was his father. At first, Gareth just wanted to run far away from his mother but the outside world was changing as dead now filled the streets and they just brought in Alex after his parents got mutilated by their bite. _

_ When Alex and Gareth grew much older and the ranch life started becoming unsafe, they packed up their belongings and headed for an abandoned train station named Terminus. Terminus had been explained to Mary by the owner at the time to be the perfect spot if an apocalyptic world was ever to occur. _

_ Terminus was perfect. Terminus was their sanctuary. It was fortified. It was the perfect place to feast on travelling survivors._

Mary lifted her face from her hands as Gareth returned, having already escorted the group to A.

"That went fantastic! It looks like we won't be hungry for a while." Gareth grinned.

"Sounds fine with me, I'm getting pretty hungry," Mary said, rubbing her stomach trying to prevent laughter.

Gareth's eyes averted to the ground. He had to tell his mother there was another that he had kidnapped and was keeping hostage. He felt different about this one though. So, he began his confession:

"I stumbled upon another woman on a supply run. She has the most angelic blonde hair and fair skin; she was walking away from a house. I'm wondering if her man was inside abusing her and she was running away. I have feelings for her, mother. She's just too damn beautiful." He paused, "Don't worry though; I have her contained." Gareth spoke with hesitation trying to catch his breath. He lowered his head as his mother began to speak.

"Honey, I understand that you're trying so very hard to get over the fact that you have to eat the ostentatious, over-the-top pretty girls_, _but Gareth, you have to also understand that this world is not for dating or finding love. It's a world of darkness and by following the Terminus way of religion, we have to end her life and rip her insides to feast." Mary was now agitated with Gareth. But he was her son, after all. She'd just have to remind him how things needed to be.

"Don't forget about our meeting tomorrow night, I'm bringing up very valuable points. You reminded me of one just now!" Mary said, walking away and heading towards her sleeping area.

"By the way, mother, she's not ostentatious. She's just beautiful!" Gareth yelled back at his mother who was now fading into the distance.

Gareth gazed into the now charcoal skies. The moon shined in the south with the Sagittarius constellation bringing some sense of comfort after the many months he had to endure this lifestyle change. He prepared himself for the meeting tomorrow, trying to combat some of his mother's ideas. He walked into his sleeping cell to rest his eyes for the days ahead, thinking of the woman he was holding hostage.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Meetings of Discrepancy

On a chipped shelving unit, a mason jar full of freshly removed brains sits in a dim lit room. Surrounding the room, iron cages stand constraining the latest victims of brutality; vital or inanimate. The eastern sun peaks an unwelcoming light into the latest victim's eyes as Gareth enters the room. He stands over her with a sharpened tool almost imitating a glaive. He lowers it as the intimate shadows proceed over her.

Terminus was the home of train transport and a major leader in coal transportation when it was in its prime years before the dead arrived. The underground coal mine that existed via trapdoor in Factory A was still in use by Mary and the other civilians. Coal and oak wood was their main source for their grill.

Mary sat up, leaning against the crumbled brick wall of Factory A waiting for Gareth to come from his sleeping area. She had prepared numerous sonnets and a few rules for the meeting that would take place in a few hours before she fell asleep the night before. Gareth approached her in a plaid cyan shirt and rugged jeans. She placed her hand on his face and spoke softly.

"You know I truly care for you, my dear son. I just don't want you to fall into disparity." Mary said, now placing her arms around Gareth.

"I understand mother, but I just care for the woman. " Gareth replied, averting his eyes to the corner of the brick wall where a wolf spider embraced its latest victim trapped within its web.

"Oh, I just love watching the fangs of a spider insert into the flesh of its victim." Mary pointed at the stages of the spider's attack.

It was now the time of the meeting.

The meeting was hosted in the center of Factory A and was mandatory for every citizen of Terminus to be present, or you were considered a traitor and would be added to the group to be slaughtered. In the center of the room a gargantuan podium stood with writing across it that could not be deciphered. Mary stood over the podium as citizens filled the multiple benches that paraded around it. The meeting had begun.

"Dear citizens of Terminus,

I Mary have been called forward to bring important changes and inspirational words from our god to your ears. He declared to me that the beautiful townspeople of Terminus shall not date outsiders without my acceptance. He sent me a remembrance of the great flood that washed thousands to their death. The reasoning behind telling me this is he wanted to point out that this flood was his tears of betrayal from his own creation. He wanted them to be what we are, cannibals." Mary paused to catch her breath and continued, "He has reminded me that we aren't feasting enough." Mary glared into Gareth's eyes trying to see if he caught her idea.

Gareth stood in the corner catching exactly what his mom was thinking; she wanted to sacrifice a hostage tonight. He looked down at his blade and began contemplating the woman he loved so dearly that he'd have to slaughter. He had to do this for his mother's love and god's request.

Citizens began discussing the short meeting amongst the crowd, Mary came back to podium and announced for silence.

"I wrote a poem for my son Gareth,

Love is like the drips of red,

Dripping as intertwining interludes

You sacrifice for the ones you love,

You cut the veins deeply

You feast greatly"

Gareth became aggravated as now the whole town knew of his love for a hostage as he stormed out of the room towards the hostage room. It was time.

Standing over the corpse of the skinned woman he once loved he lowered his machete to her chest. He rubbed through her blonde hair as the blood highlighted it. He leaned down to her neck rubbing his tongue on her cold veins. He lowered his knife into her chest as it lacerated through her flesh. Gareth continued to work on her chest until discovering the beauty of her heart; he began cutting it loose. Once released, he began chewing through the hearts layers while he began to work on cutting her brain loose. He reached for his mason jar to store the brains to remember the beautiful girl.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Through the Eyes of A Leader

Sacrifice was often the only route to take when Terminus was in need of food. The bloodbath of their latest victims streamed into the cracks of the prison cement as Gareth remained over the body of the woman he admired, now laying deceased for a few hours as pesky ravens gazed from the outside windows.

Mary glanced at the cracked gravel, dazing in sadness at a hopeless earthworm that was being cooked alive by the midday sun. Mary would often find herself glancing into the clouds seeing visual animations of her past life. The luminous moon would close these memories with the darkest of shadows.

_I can remember a summer day at the beginning of Terminus. The distant harbor was now a ghost town as the civilians had turned. The lighthouses beautiful, yet ominous light was no longer in effect. The mayor had left town several days before the outbreak and heard about our town of Terminus and resided here for a few weeks. He'd later be on our supper table. Delicious at that._

_ We struggled for food for weeks after that delicious meal. That's when I began praying to the townspeople. I prayed for the gods to give us weeks of prosperity, weeks of happiness, weeks of human flesh. My son Gareth and his friend Alex worked the man-work for several weeks at the beginning of the creation of Terminus; they'd find wanderers who were lost within our woods and bring them here, and we'd discuss if they were to be eaten or to be citizens. Many children were on the list of sacrifice._

_God brought us happiness as I read his famous words, or as I like to call, the famous last words for the souls who dared walked through our front gates. The damned souls whose final breaths rest within the walls of this town. The many banshees that surround these white walls look over the soon to be dead wailing in sorrow. God was good to us: their flesh was delectable._

_Every night I turn the pages of the book, the book of my Lord. I pray to Him with sweet serenity knowing He'll bring me a fresh plate. I sometimes ponder my decisions, I contemplate my sins. I look to the sky and see the enormous white staircase that leads to the man himself and wonder if He himself is secretly one of me. Does He chew the flesh?_

_ His angelic men and women who flutter into the cumulus tell me stories of how their servant loves and admires me. They tell me I will be forgiven of my sins. I disagree. I have done so much that now I have forced upon Gareth and a few hundred people. I eat my fellow homosapians. My own son is one of me. The regret I feel only for him, not those who I murdered or will murder. Oh dear._

The moonlight remained in the sky as cicadas played alarming off-rhythm instrumentation. Audible steps approached her from behind as she spun around to see her son approaching, drenched in blood.

"Mom, I know what it's like to see through the eyes of a leader. Thank you for showing me what truly matters." Gareth embraced his mother with a warm, comforting squeeze.

"You're welcome, my dear," Mary replied, enjoying the assuasive moment of happiness.

The sun appeared like a vibrant Chinese sky lantern as the doyenne of Terminus sat at her study table writing quicker ways to cut flesh into her journals and research books. The room was similar to a scientific laboratory with various instruments, a sextant hung above the entrance on a bent nail. Most of the items were found on supply runs and would be integrated into their study of human torture and flesh removal processes. Mary gripped the front cover of the journal and closed it. She stood from her desk, Gareth stumbling in a few seconds after.

"Catherine wants to speak to you," Gareth said, looking at his mother in discouragement.

Catherine was the broadcaster of Terminus and more importantly, Mary's mother. Catherine never left her broadcast station as her sweet timid voice encouraged those who had access to local radios to hear about their sanctuary. The broadcasting system belonged to Mary's father who was a disc jockey before the apocalypse occurred.

Mary entered the gymnasium-sized room which held Catherine and other researchers. Catherine arose from her chair. She spoke three simple words.

"I did this."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Embers

Miles of decaying flora surrounded Terminus in all directions, wildlife was rarely a sight now. Catherine stood over several decayed bodies, their mouths distorted by blade. Time eclipsed itself with a diorama of bloodshed and sacrifice as the bodies laid motionless in white.

Catherine glanced up at her daughter dropping the blade to the cold concrete flooring. Her victims remained sprawled ready to be skinned as Mary smiled.

"Mother, I'm very proud of you for catching these traitors." Mary paused and continued with a hiss "Couldn't count on Gareth to do such a task." Catherine could see the frustration in Mary's eyes,but refrained from bringing Gareth back up.

Reflecting under the gymnasium lights, a sharp blade inserted into the latest victims chest ripping fat and tissue. Catherine remained inside for the rest of the day, as Mary left the gymnasium to prepare a burn pile as the smell of rotten flesh lingered around her nostrils.

Gareth rose from his bed as the scent of burning bodies struck him. He glanced outside his window seeing a large bonfire as the cinders gracefully arose to the sky. He began to wonder why anyone in town would be burning a meal. He grabbed a navy blue plaid tee shirt and rugged khaki shorts and decided to go investigate.

Like a vicious serial killer of newspaper headlines, Mary stood as the fire blazed behind her. Gareth approached his mother with a smile as she reached into her pocket pulling out a piece of paper.

"Gareth I'm glad you came here. I'm asking you to resign as a leader of Terminus." Mary said waiting for Gareth's reaction.

"Mom...uhh… Why? What'd I do?" Gareth's fist began to clench but knew better than to hit his own mother. Mary placed her finger over his mouth and pointed at the resignation letter.

"Mom! I'm not signing this! This is BULLSHIT!" Gareth said as he attempted to catch his breath. Gareth turned around to keep from crying.

"Honey it's what is best for Terminus. If you don't straighten up I'm placing you next on my dinner plate" Mary said with a unrelenting look.

Gareth walked away from his mother, he knew he just had to go back to his room and maybe by tomorrow she'd change her mind. He was done fighting with her, he was close to being done with this lifestyle. He wanted his mother dead at this point.


End file.
